Simone Biles on USA Gymnastics' Promise for Reform: 'Talking Is Easy'

Published Aug 20, 2019 at 12:22 PM

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Simone Biles is looking for action more than words when it comes to the response by USA Gymnastics in the wake of the sexual abuse scandal involving former team doctor Larry Nassar.

In an exclusive interview on TODAY Tuesday, the four-time Olympic gold medalist spoke about the organization's reaction to her emotional comments on Aug. 7 in which she condemned USA Gymnastics for not protecting her and hundreds of other gymnasts from being sexually abused by Nassar, the former Olympic gymnastics team doctor who is now serving a life sentence.

"I feel like you can always talk the talk, but you have to show up and you have to prove,'' she told Savannah Guthrie. "You just have to do your job at the end of the day. It would almost be better if you just prove to everyone rather than talking, because talking is easy."

During a training session for the United States Gymnastics Championships earlier this month, a tearful Biles ripped the governing body for failing to protect gymnasts.

“We've done everything that they asked us for even when we didn't want to and they couldn't do one damn job,'' she told reporters. "You had one job, you literally had one job and you couldn't protect us."

Biles went on to win her sixth USA Gymnastics Championship in spectacular fashion, becoming the first woman to ever land a triple-double combination in competition on the floor exercise.

Li Li Leung, who became the new president and CEO of USA Gymnastics in February in the wake of the scandal, responded to Biles' comments during the national championships.

"This organization has let down many people including Simone, and historically, the organization has silenced gymnasts,'' Leung told reporters. "And that time is no more."

Biles also spoke about trying to heal from the emotional pain while also continuing to dominate her sport. She has won 20 consecutive all-around titles dating back to 2013, including the 2016 Olympic all-around title in Rio de Janeiro.

"I feel like it's been a roller coaster,'' she said. "A lot of highs, a lot of lows. Coming back, I'm doing this just for me, and I think that's different from the last time around. For me, I feel like I have nothing to prove to anyone, and I think that's what keeps me in the sport besides love and passion."